Advocating for the voices of African youth by all means

Enzo Amuele

The African Youth Charter Hustlers (AYCH), which is an initiative of the African Union Youth Envo published 2019/20 Action Plan under the Advocacy Model, seeks to mobilise the AYC Hustlers to lead continental, regional and national advocacy for the ratification and implementation of the Charter as well as the institution of effective monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

This goes in line with the African Union Commission (AUC) one million initiative which seeks to which seeks to provide opportunities for African youth in the game-changing areas of employment, education, entrepreneurship and engagement (4Es)

Under the engagement pillar, the initiative seeks to create meaningful platforms for youth to drive change in their environments. The AYC Hustlers initiative provides an opportunity for youth-led advocacy and youth-led accountability, and ensures results on continental commitments to their development. The AYC initiative will engage two mobilisers per country, one male and one female, for two years.

One of the AUC’s youth engagement strategies is centred on youth ownership of their outcomes, youth-led accountability, and building the capacity of young Africans to undertake these responsibilities such as advocating for action including the establishment of effective national youth councils (NYCs) where they are absent, the reaffirmation and strengthening of NYCs where they exist, and the establishment of progressive national youth policies and youth funds to name a few.

Bertha Tobias, who is known for her razor-sharp eloquence, unyielding drive and professional versatility, and international award-winning speaker, MC and youth leader Lot Ndamanomhata are the representatives of AYC.

When asked why she chose to apply for this initiative, Tobias mentioned that she has a lot to offer and wants to invest that capacity back into her community.

“The AYC programme allows me to elevate my advocacy for African youth while offering me the guidance on how to maximize socio-political effectiveness,” she says

She adds that the AUYCH programme is a great learning opportunity for any young person who is interested in public leadership and continental progress. She hopes to gain an increased understanding of the challenges which limit implementation of progressive policy, and the best ways around those challenges.

“African youth carry the key to significant continental progress, but that is a power that we cannot harness if young people are not represented,” Tobias says. Therewith, I want young African people to know that they matter, their stories matter and that their individual and collective struggles matter.

When asked with the help of AYCH how she will promote the policy formulation to increase youth involvement and participation in decision-making processes at all levels – political and economic spheres in the country, Tobias mentioned to contributing to the following:

1. Accessibility to professional youth development through targeted training programmes focusing on leadership and entrepreneurship.

2. Logistical ease of access to public health and reproductive health commodities, placing focus on modern contraception.

3. Collaboration in delivering quality education,

The two mobilisers were informed of their selection during and/or after the Africa Youth Month and are currently undergoing a rigorous six-month training period, after which they will begin with tangible objective implementation.